The right image
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The article I was reading began with a flowery introduction about a restaurant nestled in a beautiful rural setting.
It described a chef heading out the door of the kitchen to find ingredients for the dishes he was to prepare for his restaurant menu. Instead of heading to a market to choose his fresh ingredients, he instead walked to the restaurant's own garden. A "farmer" tended to the vegetable garden and pen of Berkshire pigs.
The article described how the food was raised organically and holistically. I could almost feel the surroundings and taste the food. From a consumer perspective, it was a feel-good experience.
From an agriculture perspective, it could be dangerous.
The article went on to say that urban visitors could call ahead and sign up to do chores on the farm.
While connecting with our city friends could be a promising link for agriculture, situations like this can also mislead consumers.
The quaint farm does much of its work by hand. Most of today's farmer businessmen do their work sitting on a tractor seat, not a garden stool.
I fear this is getting closer and closer to the image that most Americans have of farmers. What's wrong with that, you say?
If this is the image they have of farming, might they want to regulate our industry so that it functions that way? Could they see a confinement hog facility and think of pigs rolling in the mud? Could they see a spray rig working its way across a field of corn and think of rows of vegetables weeded by hand?
Many agricultural producers choose to run their farms organically or holistically and that's great. It provides a market that can be served by smaller producers.
But to feed the masses of this country and others, industrialized agriculture has ensured there will always be bacon in the meat case and fresh vegetables available year-round.
I doubt many consumers would be willing to put up with empty shelves when a disease hits and I'm certain most of them wouldn't want to pay more for their food.
It's important that agriculture producers connect with consumers, but let's be careful that we portray the right image--one of professional, conscientious, hard-working men and women that run their farms as a business providing safe, abundant and economical food.
Holly Martin can be reached by phone at 1-800-452-7171 ext. 1806 or e-mail at hmartin@hpj.com.
Date: 3/23/06
Agriculture News from HPJ - Your Ag News Source
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